Boutique Hotels

2. What can we learn from the mass customization of tangible goods (e.g., Lands' End or Dell) that can be applied to the mass customization of services (e.g., boutique hotels)?

• In mass customization of tangible goods, the customer is highly involved more particularly in the design of the goods (e.g. Customized Bird Feeders of Case 1 – Natural Designs, Inc.).  This is also true for customization of services.  For this to be fully appreciated by the customer, he/she must be largely involved in selecting the services that suits his/her taste.  In the case of boutique hotels, customizing their service would include the customers selection of activities to do during their stay and pillows and towels embroidered with their names.
• Similar to customization of tangible goods, technology is also significantly useful in customization of services.  Technology such as database system would help ensure smoothness of operations and reliability of information to improve the delivery of the service.  Similar to fast food chain deliveries, their database could already identify a customer’s usual order or request making the entire experience real fast and more accurate.  In the case of boutique hotels, creating a customer database would enable them to identify the usual accommodation of a particular guest.

3. How can boutique hotels maintain a consistent/standard level of service without compromising their unique/personalized service mission?

The key to achieving both consistency in the level of service and personalized service mission is excellent customer relationship.  The organization has to develop and instil to its employees the value or culture of excellent customer service for it to be consistent across the organization.  To be able to achieve this, the company has to invest in extensive customer service trainings and ensure that it is put into practice in daily operations.  To incorporate mass customization or personalized service in this value, everyone in the organization has to be hands on in delivering excellent guest relations including top management.  Furthermore, excellent customer service must not only be provided to external customers but to internal customers as well (e.g. employees, suppliers, investors, owners) to ensure the development of a strong organizational value.